Chelsea are winning, but Thomas Tuchel has work to do to improve performances
Four wins from five games: That’s how efficient Chelsea have been since Thomas Tuchel joined the club. The Blues haven’t looked back since drawing against Wolverhampton Wanderers in the German’s debut game.
Chelsea have since beaten Burnley, Tottenham Hotspur and Sheffield United in the Premier League, and now Barnsley in the FA Cup. They sealed qualification to the quarter-final of the FA Cup after beating the Championship outfit on Thursday.
However, Chelsea's performance against Barnsley wasn’t great, although Tammy Abraham’s lone goal was enough to secure their passage to the next round of the competition.
For large parts of the game, Chelsea were toothless and rarely threatened their opponents. Barnsley also created a number of opportunities and should have taken the lead in the first half, but couldn't do so because of their wastefulness in front of goal.
Chelsea’s performances are not encouraging
The Blues are currently winning; the statistics suggest everything is perfect at Stamford Bridge. Four wins in five games, including four clean sheets, is definitely an impressive return.
However, Chelsea’s recent performances have been poor and lethargic. Aside from the 2-0 win against Burnley, which was a comfortable one, the Blues have struggled in other games.
Thursday’s FA Cup match against Barnsley was no different in that regard. Chelsea played with little rhythm and laboured to create chances at the other end.
"We scored the goal, and I had the feeling that they increased the risk, but we stepped down in the little decisions. Not enough courage, and it was too deep for a long, long time. We clearly can play better, so yes I expected more but not in terms that I am frustrated. If you lack a rhythm and a bit of self-confidence and you have to show on this pitch, against an opponent that takes all the risk and plays the game of their life, that is not easy. We can do better, but I don’t want to be too hard on the players," Tuchel said, as quoted by Goal.
Chelsea may currently be on a winning run, but the team’s performances have left much to be desired; so Tuchel has work to do to change that.
Chelsea's stars are still struggling
One of the main reasons why Frank Lampard was sacked was because of his inability to bring the best out of Chelsea’s big-name signings.
Hakim Ziyech, Christian Pulisic, Timo Werner and Kai Havertz all struggled under the former midfielder. But it’s fair to say that not much has changed in that regard since Tuchel has taken over.
Pulisic and Ziyech started against Barnsley, but rarely impressed before they were hauled off in the 80th and 69th minutes respectively. Meanwhile, Werner is still struggling to find the net, while Havertz can’t even get into the team.
Tuchel has a lot of work to do to get his stars playing well once again. So far, they’ve been a pale of themselves, and the German must have been left worried by their performances against Barnsley.